Gambling giant blames job cuts on Burnham high street crackdown Retail Ladbrokes owner Entain has hit out at Andy Burnham’s plans to shake up the high street as the gambling giant blamed the Prime Minister for its decision to cut 400 jobs. The group, which also owns Coral, has announced that it will cut about a fifth of the headcount of its global customer care team, [...]
Wetherspoon boss: ‘Not up to Burnham’ to choose who is on the high street Hospitality Britain’s pubs have few more committed defenders than Sir Tim Martin. The Norwich-born businessman founded JD Wetherspoon in 1979 when he bought his first pub in Muswell Hill, initially named Martin’s Free House. Since rebranding the pub to Wetherspoon – named after a former teacher of Martin’s who could not control his class – it [...]
Black market cigarette trade ‘accelerating high street decline’, Co-op tells Burnham Retail Criminal gangs selling illicit cigarettes in shops across the UK are “accelerating” the decline of Britain’s high streets and must be stopped, the Co-op has warned Andy Burnham. The black market trade of tobacco is undermining the Prime Minister’s push to rejuvenate UK high streets, eroding public safety and weakening community cohesion, the cigarettes-to-funerals seller [...]
Retailers call for ‘lifeline’ from Healey as cooler weather fails to boost footfall September 4, 2026 Britain’s retailers have called for a “lifeline” from the Chancellor John Healey after footfall fell again in August despite cooler temperatures. Total footfall in the UK fell by 1.7 per cent year on year last month, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). Though shopping traffic fell at a slower rate than July’s [...]
Burnham to crack down on vape and betting shops August 11, 2026 Andy Burnham is set to unveil a crackdown on vape and betting shops in a bid to boost British high streets, which the Prime Minister says have been “hollowed out” in recent decades. Burnham will on Tuesday set out plans to scrap the Blair-era “aim to permit” rule, which requires councils to accept planning applications [...]
Banks keep £100 contactless limit despite new powers March 19, 2026 Britain’s banks will not be lifting the £100 cap on contactless payments despite the regulator giving them the power to do so, citing low demand. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) lifted the cap on Thursday, leaving it up to banks to increase their own limits – although none of the UK’s biggest banks have decided [...]
Monsoon CEO: high streets will pay the price for mishandled jobs reform March 6, 2026 Retail supports better pay and conditions for employees, but with labour costs rising and declining footfall, a poorly implemented Employment Rights Act will do harm than good, says Nick Stowe You might not have thought it, but we are seeing some of the best retail ever emerging in parts of the UK, from major shopping [...]
Banks to set own contactless limit as FCA scraps cap December 19, 2025 UK banks will be able to set their own contactless limits under new rules set to be introduced by the City watchdog next year. In the current system, banks place a cap on payments of up to £100 per transaction when consumers are using physical contactless cards. But changes introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority [...]
How money laundering took over our high streets November 13, 2025 American candy stores and vape shops are the new face of financial crime, hiding in plain sight, says Marit Rodevand Walk down almost any British high street today and you’ll see them: neon-lit candy stores selling purportedly “American” sweets, vape shops and barbers with a faded poster of Cristiano Ronaldo taped to the window. Superficially, these [...]
Retail footfall sinks for sixth straight month as Brits fear Budget taxes November 7, 2025 Footfall at the UK’s shops has declined for the sixth consecutive month, marking another worrying sign for the retail sector. Total activity fell by 0.7 per cent in October, led by drops in shopping centre and retail park footfall, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC). BRC chief Helen Dickinson said that nervousness around the [...]